Posted 2009-11-05, evaluated by the judges panel


What's this? A ReMix directly inspired by... another ReMix? It's happened before, and as long as the two pieces are sufficiently distinct, there ain't nothing in the playbook that says it's not allowed. You may remember Olarin, aka Bradley Mellen, from his FFVI mix last year; he writes:

"This was recorded in January of 2007, when I got some fellow musicians together to make a short demo, and to see if I could manage a passable recording on cello (which I'd been playing less than two years at that point). I initially had little thought of submitting this to OCR, as the whole idea to record the tune had come from listening to the excellent Neskvartetten ReMix "Ganon's Temple", and I figured that track had already pretty effectively covered the idea of a euro-jazz rendition of Sanctuary Dungeon. However, after repeated listening, I've decided that although the approach was similar, our instantiation is sufficiently distinct from theirs in form, instrumentation, mood, and interpretation to be worth a submission. So I'll leave the decision to you guys as to whether this version warrants posting another jazz reading of Sanctuary Dungeon to the site."

piano: Ari Kessler
bass: Marshall Skinner
drums, recording/mixing: Keith Maxwell Button

Very mellow, and the presence of cello almost instantly grants it a very distinct sound from Neskvartetten's track. I agree with the judges that the cello seems panned a bit too far left, and while Bradley sounds better on cello after two years than I did on euphonium after four, there are still some tuning issues here and there. Spiraling is kept to a minimum, and generally there's a lot of space and less soloing, as well. AnSo writes:

"Yeah, I really dig this. A bit distant but not so much that it hurts the track. Would've loved the cello to be less panned but that's personal preference. Nice interpretation of the source, 2:09-> in the piano was really clever. Even during the more solo-oriented pieces you at least use the chords and hint to the source. Playing was overall good but I thought the intro was a bit too loose, especially in the piano, but nothing major. Not bad, not bad at all. I dig."

OA adds:

"Arrangement here is great, and is different enough from previous mix to stand on its own. There were a few slight intonation issues in some spots in the cello, but the small rough patches were smoothed out overall by a collection of good performances, and the whole ensemble gives the piece a languid-yet-alert vibe that just sounds sophisticated. I can imagine this track being played in a posh hotel filled with movie stars from the 50's."

The overall feel of the piece seems almost seasonal, very appropriate for a Fall/Autumn setting, and I think Bradley's improved his sound and that his "cello recording experiment" session resulted in a moody, enjoyable Zelda mix.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2012-04-13 12:13:01

Pretty sweet. Stays really close to the original up until that later part, but that's not a bad thing with sources like this. Love the piano work (which I always thought fit the source 100%) and the bass was nice as well. Soft and smooth, this jazzy little piece is very nicely done.

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champ the hippie
on 2012-01-23 17:36:02

classy! i always love a live recorded mix, especially those that are as chill and classy as this one!

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42
on 2009-12-29 16:33:48

Live performances really add a special very human touch to the arrangements which I love greatly.

I also love the very meandering, nonchalant below street level coffeehouse atmosphere presented here. I also do like the lead cello a lot. It feels really distinctive and it's something I don't really hear too often in a capacity like this.

The sound scape/textures here are really interesting. Everything is so sparse, minimalistic, and disconnected but in that really good way that's a hallmark of jazz music.

All in all, I really love this track a lot and it's so going onto my jazz playlist.

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Triad Orion
on 2009-12-09 13:50:40

I find myself echoing Level 99 about this, but for some reason the song feels a little more hollow than it should. I think it's largely because the original source tune is kind of empty and a little on the short side. Part of it might just be my bias that I don't really like the source tune that much too.

I think what would've really helped this mix is if you went off the beaten path and expanded the depth of the song more. The source tune has some good ideas, but I never really liked its execution. I think if you guys had expanded it some you would've had a real winner.

Now, my negativity here is purely on the arrangement level. The execution was done well, so you have nothing to worry about there. You really nailed the autumn mood too, which is awesome. Overall, I'd say this is a pretty good mix, given my predisposition to not caring for the original track.

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Level 99
on 2009-12-08 12:25:40

There's something about the mixing here that doesn't sit right with me. I honestly don't know what it is, but if feels more empty than it should, even considering the instruments and style used. Besides that, I have no qualms here. Not my favorite style but I found this, on-the-whole, to be enjoyable if not just a tad lengthy for some reason, even if it's a short song. Maybe that's because it moves so slowly.

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Emunator
on 2009-12-01 18:01:01

What a quaint mix, it captures the spirit of smooth jazz that you'd hear at a fancy dinner party, but the source gives a really unique mood to the genre that I don't hear too often. I find myself zoning out really easily whenever I listen to this song, but when I really take the time to concentrate on it and use it as more than just background music, there's still a lot of intricacies to be fascinated by. The meandering piano, the subtly-rising and falling bass, and of course the cello all make this track worth taking multiple listens just to focus on the individual elements. There's even a lot to love about the drums, too, which are less of an attention-grabber but still worth paying attention to.

Lots to love in this mix! One of the better Zelda jazz renditions I've heard, and there have been lots of them around this site! :-)

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ella guro
on 2009-12-01 03:23:26

Some intonation issues with the cello like people mentioned, but those aren't really a big deal. It is a bit muffled though, and I'm not sure about the panning on it. I guess it gives it a more distanced feel, which is interesting.

This sticks pretty close to the original except the section in the middle that I like a lot (especially around 1:50). I kind of wish that part was taken further, actually...the mix feels really short to me, even at 3:38. The whole thing has kind of a sparse, disjointed feeling to it that I like. I do sometimes feel like the different instruments are playing in isolation from each other (which could partially have to do with the panning) and not really feeding off each other as much as they could. I don't really think that's an intentional effect either, cause if it was it could be exploited more. I also feel like arrangement-wise could stand to do a little bit more in the parts with the melody, but at least the instrumentation is pretty well done there.

I think I like this overall. I still feel like it could've done more, but it's still not bad work. I agree with what DA said about it being tentative and lacking some confidence in places, but that's something that has just more to do with having not as much experience than anything else.

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Martin Penwald
on 2009-11-17 16:05:34
Way moody and the imperfections give this track a lot of character. I do wish the tuning would have been a little more on, but it's still a very capable mix.

I agree. Just like Bahamut, however, I wish there would be more interpretation; apart from the part around the 2 min mark, the remix stays very, very close to the original.

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OA
on 2009-11-10 15:05:27

Way moody and the imperfections give this track a lot of character. I do wish the tuning would have been a little more on, but it's still a very capable mix. A cool room sound and a good arrangement are the icing on this cupcake.

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Dafydd
on 2009-11-10 07:30:15

Everything here is a little out of tune with everything else, but besides that, this sounds very pro. The performance is great, as is the arrangement, and the recording and mixing is wonderful. I agree the volume is a little low, but it doesn't make a difference to me. I have various knobs on my computer, both real and virtual, to compensate. ;-)

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Bahamut
on 2009-11-08 02:14:41

So one thing I notice with this song is that the volume is too low, even for such a mellow track. It definitely should've been raised across the board.

This captures the original in a mellow fashion, but I feel like it is too short and just ends. I would've liked to hear more, as this plods fairly slowly, so it never even gets the chance to develop into much more than the original.

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-11-06 20:15:13

An interesting, and pretty cool, interpretation of the source tune. I like that throughout the mix there is very little time you aren't where you can't find some portion of the original floating around, yet this still sounds like it's own stand-alone piece.

I feel like the weakest moment is when the cello first comes in. Just a little more volume/confidence could have made that section much tighter overall. After that the mix settles in nicely and I have few complaints. Creative work, I'll be looking for more from these guys.

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jintoreedwine
on 2009-11-05 20:25:28

This mix is AWESOME! Jazz + real instruments, my absolute favorite combination. Simply excellent... there isn't much more to say about it than that :) .

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Salluz
on 2009-11-05 17:38:57

I quickly fell in love with this mix. It reminded me that simplicity can be badass and that a simple song can retain some of the highest skill, primarily in terms of the proper vibe that can seclude me from existence.

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MechaFone
on 2009-11-05 16:39:04

This remix is mellow. Really mellow.

I'm all for awesome instrumentals, and this song pulls it off with mellow lounge style. Great work!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo , 1991, SNES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Sanctuary Dungeon"

Tags (17)


Genre:
Jazz
Mood:
Chill,Dark,Mellow,Sad,Solemn
Instrumentation:
Acoustic,Cello,Piano,Strings
Additional:
Arrangement > Extended Soloing
Arrangement > Quartet
Origin > Collaboration
Production > Live Ensemble
Production > Live Instruments
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Tempo: Moderate

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_A_Link_to_the_Past_Exodus_to_Sanctuary_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,704,267 bytes
MD5:
afe5f9c75bbfe574f084241cb79f7b71
Bitrate:
212Kbps
Duration:
3:32

 

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